This invention relates to the field of amusement board games, specifically dynamic board games having objects projected onto a playing field for striking a target object and driving the target object into a goal.
Dynamic amusement board games, those having pieces which are projected across a playing surface, are preferably fun, simple and fast paced. There are many devices for projecting pieces across a playing surface, for example, catapults, spring loaded, pin ball type battering rams, and electric motors inducing vibration of the playing surface. Some board games have simple and more reliable means for projecting the pieces, for example, a surface inclined with respect to the playing surface, down which a ball or disk is rolled onto the playing field.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,862 shows a board game having an object which is rolled onto a target at the opposite end of the board. U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,997 shows a board baseball game in which a ball is rolled down a ramp toward the opposite end of the field where the opposing player strikes the ball with a hingedly mounted bat. U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,529 shows a game in which a disk is rolled down an inclined surface to the opposite end of the board onto a target which is part of the board surface. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,909, one player of a game tries to knock the opposing player""s disks out of the way in the football type board game by rolling his disk down an inclined surface. All of these games have as their object the directing of a ball or disk onto a playing field from a ramp at one end in an attempt to place the rolled object in some desired position on the playing surface.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,585, a ball is rolled from one end of a playing field in an attempt to place the ball through a goal at the opposite end, while players on the sides of the playing field try to intercept the rolling ball with balls of their own. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,018,833, a ball is rolled onto a playing surface in order to strike balls suspended above the playing surface. U.S. Pat. No. 2,218,375 shows a game having ramps at opposite ends of the playing field. In this game, balls having a letter painted on them are rolled down the ramps along a track in a particular order to spell a desired word.
In the above cited patents, the games disclosed appear to be either slow paced compared to the speed of dynamic board games to which people have become accustomed, or else mechanically complex. The need exists, therefore, for a fast paced dynamic board game which is simple in function for reliability and enjoyment.
Often, board games have certain features (i.e., handles, etc.) that protrude from the main base section of the board game. These features make transportation of the board game difficult as these protruding features may prevent free passage of the board game through a door or the protruding features may strike the door frame as the board game is being moved therefore, resulting in damage or destruction to the protruding features. It is therefore desirable to provide a board game that has a minimum number of protruding features or it contains protruding features that can be placed into a storage position when the board game is not in use or when the board game is being transported.
The invention is a board game comprising a game board having a planar playing surface which has a length, a width and two opposite ends. A pair of goals are positioned with one goal at each of the two opposite ends of the game board. Additionally, there is a pair of centrally facing ramps, one ramp is positioned at each of the two opposite ends of the game board, and each ramp has a surface transverse to the planar playing surface. A lower edge of each ramp surface is positioned near an edge of the planar playing surface. There is a target ball for positioning on the playing surface and having a diameter to permit it to pass through the goals. Furthermore, there is a plurality of projectile balls for rolling down the ramp surfaces and onto the planar surface.
The board game contains several ball collectors (e.g., trays) for collecting the target balls and/or the projectile balls. Preferably, each tray is attached to one end of the board game and is configured to collect the target balls and/or the projectile balls. Each tray is attached to the board game in a pivotal manner so that the tray is positionable between an open position (when the game is being played) and a closed position (when the game is not being played).